Chimney type heat regenerator



Aug. 3, W J. |RW|N 2,446,420

CHIMNEY TYPE HEAT REGENERATOR Filed OCT.. 17, 1942 Patented Aug. 3, 1948 UNITED sTATs 6 Claims. l

This invention is a heat regenerator, of the chimney type, particularly adapted for use in connection with a steel-making, regenerative, open-hearth furnace. It has the advantage of providing a greater, and more uniformly acting, heat exchange, without introducing undue complications, or expense. At the same time, it provides a construction permitting the use of a dust blowing tool, inside the regenerator.

A specific example of the invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, the various figures being as follows:

Figure l is a horizontal section;

Figure 2 is a vertical section from. the line II--II in Figure l;

Figure 3 is a cross-section from the line III- III in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlargement from Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a vertical section from the line V-V in Figure 4.

More specifically, these drawings show a regenerative, open-hearth furnace up-and-down-take l, with its slag pocket 2 and iue 3 extending over the regenerator top, along with the bottom regenerator flue t. Although the example is designed to handle the furnace air, the same fundamentals are involved in the oase of equipment handling the furnace fuel, when this is of a character permitting its preheiating.

The regenerator itself is of the chimney type and has its chimneys arranged in tandem groups 5, 6 and '1, with the chimney gas passages 8 of one group offset from those of another. Preferably this oifsetting relationship prevails in all instances. Also, best results are obtained by having the chimney gas passages, of the one group, substantially aligned axially with the chimney walls of another group, this relationship, likewise, preferably prevailing in the case of all groups.

With the above arrangement, the products of combustion introduced to the regenerator top by the ue 3, pass down through the chimneys of the uppermost group 5. During this passage, a characteristic heating eiect results, namely, the portion of the gas stream, in each chimney, most adjacent the chimney wall, becomes a, relatively, cooler zone, having given up some of its heat to the chimney wall; while the inner portion of the gas stream retains a considerably greater proportion of its heat, which cannot reach the chimney wall because of the insulating effect of the outer portion of the stream. In the conventional chimney type regenerator, this characteristic prevails throughout the entire passage of all the gas streams through the regenerator. However, in

the case of the regenerator here involved, the gas stream next encounters the .chimney wall 9 between adjacent chimneys of the next group 6, this introducing turbulence in case of sa slight offsetting in relationship, and causing substantial bisecting of the stream, when the gas passage, of the preceding chimney, is axially aligned with the chimney wall of a succeeding group. As a result, the hotter, and formerly inner, portion of the gas stream, becomes the outer portion of two succeeding gas streams, contributed to by adjacent chimneys of the preceding group, whereby a greater amount of heat :from the gas stream is abstracted than would otherwise be possible. It is to be understood that this action occurs in the case of all the various gas streams going through all the various gas passages, wherever there are two tandem groups arranged as described. Also, during the cooling cycle of the regenerator, the same action obviously occurs, excepting that the thermal relationships are the reverse, of those described.

'Io avoid an increase in the ow resistance of the regenerator, it is provided with transverse gas passages it arranged between each of the groups, these passages in each instance providing room for the various gas streams to transversely divide as they go from one group oi chimneys to another. These transverse gas pasu sages are shown as extending longitudinally of the regenerator, to permit the use of bricks Il in rows extending longitudinally of the regenerator and supporting apart the chimney walls of the various groups. This is possible when the osetting relationship only prevails longitudinally of the regenerator. Such a construction also permits the various transverse gas passages lil to be aligned transversely of the groups, in the manner illustrated, to also form dust-blowing-tool passages therebetween. Each of these passages should open, as at l2, through the necessary regenerator enclosure, this permitting the introduction of a pipe having a suitable, angularly disposed, ejecting end, and supplied with compressed air or steam, such a pipe being positioned in each of the aligned transverse gas passages, and used to blow dust from within the regenerator. Oby

viously, the dust may be blown in either direction, the provision described adequately eliminating any danger of dust accumulations which might otherwise occur because of the novel construction of the regenerator.

It is to be understood that the various chimneys are made of brickwork or tile, and may follow the prior art insofar as their individual constructions are concerned. The distinctive feature is that they do not extend completely through the regenerator in alignment but, instead, constitute at least two tandem groups with the chimneys in each group offset from those of another.

I claim:

1. A heat regenerator of the chimney type comprising vertically spaced tiers of chimney gas passages which are substantially straight and vertical, each of said passages being f substantially uniform transverse section for the greatest part of its length, said passages being arranged in approximately parallel rows, longitudinal vertical walls between said rows, said vertical walls in each tier being in the same vertical plane as the vertical walls in the adjacent tiers, the chimney gas passages of at least one tier being staggered with respect to those of an .adjacent tier, at least one of said staggered tiers having Ichimney gas passages which are relatively high with respect to their transverse width as measured in the direction of said staggering.

2. A heat regenerator of the chimney vtype comprising vertically spaced tiers of chimney gas passages which are substantially straight and vertical, each of said passages being of substantially uniform transverse section for the greatest part of its length, said passages being arranged in approximately parallel rows, longitudinal vertical walls between said rows, said vertical walls in each tier 4being .in the same vertical plane as the vertical walls in the adjacent tiers, the chimney gas passages of one tier being staggered with respect .to those of an adjacent tier, at least one of said staggered tiers having chimney gas pass-ages which are relatively high with respect to their transverse width as measured in the direction of said staggering, and walls enclosing said last named pass-ages, each of said last named walls being of substantially uniform thickness for the majority of its height.

3. `A heat regenerator according to claim 2 in which the spaced tiers are separated by substantially straight dividing walls forming horizontal passageways, said dividing walls being in substantially the same vertical plane .as the said longitudinal vertical walls.

4. A heat regenerator of the chimney .type comprising vertically spaced tiers of chimney gas passages which are substantially straight and Vertical, each of said passages being of substantially uniform transverse section for the greatest part of its length, said passages being arranged in approximately parallel rows, said passages being formed of parallel longitudinal vertical walls and parallel transverse vertical walls, said longitudinal walls in each tier being in the same vertical plane as the corresponding longitudinal Walls in the adjacent tiers, .the transverse walls in each tier being in a vertical plane between the planes of the corresponding transverse walls in an adjacent tier, atleast one of said adjacent tiers having chimney gas passages which are relatively high with respect to .their transverse width as measured in .the direction of the longitudinal vertical walls, said longitudinal and transverse walls being of substantially uniform thickness throughout their height.

5. A heat regenerator according yto claim 4 in which the spaced tiers are separated by substantially straight dividing w-alls forming horizontal passageways, said dividing walls being -in substantially the same vertical plane `as the said longitudinal vertical walls.

6. A heat regenerator of .the chimney type cornprising vertically spaced tiers of chimney gas passages which are substantially straight and vertical, each of said passages having an unobstructed opening therethrough of substantially uniform transverse section for the greatest part of its length as viewed from either end thereof, said passages being arranged in approximately parallel rows, longitudinal vertical walls between said rows, said vertical walls in each tier being in the same vertical plane as the vertical walls in the.

adjacent tiers, the chimney gas passages of at least one tier being staggered with respect to those of an adjacent tier, at least one of said staggered tiers having chimney gas passages which a-re relatively high with respect to their transverse width as measured in the direction of said staggering.

WILLIAM J. IRWIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 111,691 Siemens et al. Feb. 7, 1871 292,188 Weimer Jan. 22, 1884 1,679,993 Strack Aug. '7, 1928 1,686,826 Lof-tus Oo't. 9, 1928 1,916,453 Bigl-ow July 4, 1933 

